


Skittish

by Drachenfee



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Age Difference, Coffee, Crushes, F/M, Graves tries to be a bastard, Mentor/Protégé, Tina's first days as a trainee auror aren't as easy as they could be, UST i guess, but is really a cinnamon roll, clumsy!Tina, goldgraves fluff, summary is about as hot as it gets though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-23 09:39:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9650039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drachenfee/pseuds/Drachenfee
Summary: I don’t like my subordinates skittish,he reminded himself,on their toes, yes, but not skittish. Which was the only reason he wasn’t taking Trainee Auror Goldstein’s head off as scalding hot coffee ran down his chest.Well, that and the fact that she’d hit him with such force that half the cup had ended up on her blouse.(Goldgraves Fluff of the mindless variety)





	

**Author's Note:**

> I had an idea and it went wildly out of control and is about as close to what I originally planned as ... it's too late I can't think of a witty comparison. Anyway, this is what happened. Comments are love, Kudos are delightful. English is my second language, if you find spelling or grammar mistakes feel free to let me know, it's edited, but sometimes things slip through.

Chief Auror Percival Graves preferred to keep his subordinates on their toes over his subordinates being skittish around him. This was because - in his opinion - a subordinate who is ‘kept on his/her toes’ is a subordinate who will be tense enough to react quickly and relaxed enough to react correctly, while not making the kind of stupid, shitty mistakes a skittish subordinate makes. Percival knew that he was in the minority on this when it came to most of the MACUSA higher-ups. Skittish subordinates made them feel powerful, feared; or so he figured. He had no need to bolster his ego in this fashion, of course. Percival knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was the most magically powerful wizard in the building, and would as such eventually be one of the most powerful wizards politically as well.

 _I don’t like them skittish_ , he reminded himself, _on their toes, yes, but not skittish._ Which was the only reason he wasn’t taking Trainee Auror Goldstein’s head off as scalding hot coffee ran down his chest towards his groin.

Well, _that_ and the fact that she’d hit him with such force that half the cup had ended up on her blouse. It was clinging to her skin - practically transparent - as was the chemise she wore beneath, allowing him to catch a glimpse of her simple, girlish satin bra.

 _Down boy!_ He thought to himself, as he wandlessly and non-verbally vanished the scalding hot coffee, cast a drying charm, and then a healing spell on both of them. _Patience! Good things come to those who wait_ , he cautioned himself, ignoring the little gasp that escaped Goldstein and the way she moved a little as her thighs clenched together when his magic repeatedly ran over the sensitive skin of her breasts and belly. If he got lucky, she’d eventually be transferred to a different branch of MACUSA or a different department entirely, and he’d be able to admire those pert, little tits of hers from a safe distance. If he got _really_ lucky, he’d have a chance to touch and taste them, too. But, right now, she was a trainee auror, and the last thing she needed was for him to act like a sleaze.

Goldstein - eyes averted and tearing up, face red with mortification - still stood in front of him, clearly waiting to be reproved. She was also shuffling her feet nervously, the movement reminding him of why she was standing there in the first place: she’d been making herself a cup of coffee when he’d walked in and asked for an update on a file she was reviewing. Predictably, Goldstein had reacted like a startled deer in the woods, then promptly tried to cover for it by babbling pointlessly about the case, as she’d filled her cup to the brim with scalding hot coffee. The thought occurred to him, that given his position as senior auror he really should have seen the end result of the situation coming – before she had turned around too fast, already having forgotten he was right behind her.  

He sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and then finally muttered: “Goldstein, go wait in my office for me!”

She quickly scrambled past him and down the hall, while he slowly and methodically prepared himself a cup of tea. He had been contemplating the necessity of having a talk with the girl before. Her behavior was confusing at best. He knew she had well-hidden reserves of competence and self-confidence somewhere. Her Ilvermony report cards were full of praise of both, so were the rather more extensive character assessments from the recently established MACUSA Academy. Her main mentor, Auror Conally, spoke highly of her abilities, intelligence and temper. Her inability to act like she had them was apparently confined to him. He had wondered if Goldstein had a bit of a school-girl-esque crush on him, and had chosen not to confront her about it assuming his mercurial temper would quickly squash those feelings if they were at fault. But this really was the final straw.

Percival picked up his cup of tea and made his way over to his office, trying to figure out how best to approach this situation. On the one hand, he almost certainly needed to show his more pleasant side to lessen the terror she apparently felt in his presence. On the other hand, he liked to keep a professional distance between himself and his subordinates, and he needed to make sure those boundaries remained intact. He sighed again. He wished his predecessor had told him that this would also be part of his job.

When he stepped into his office, he noticed that Goldstein had not sat down while waiting for him, but was instead standing in front of his desk. Her feet were placed slightly apart, her back ramrod straight, and her hands were behind her back. He grimaced, when he realized she was essentially ‘standing at attention’ or so he believed this nonsensical stance was called among the no-majs. He’d warned the MACUSA Academy Building Committee a couple of years ago that placing the Academy right next to that no-maj military school in Annapolis would lead to young wizards and witches taking on ridiculous habits from their no-maj peers.

Who’d ever heard of magical folk ‘saluting’ one another, or standing at attention, or ... any of that nonsense really? Oh, they had their own little ways of establishing hierarchies and showing respect of course, but in the heart of hearts magicals – at least here in the US – had always known themselves to be equals among one another.

He scoffed slightly, promptly noticing a wince from Goldstein. _Skittish. So damn skittish, whatever did I do to the poor girl?_ He asked himself. Out loud he said, “Take a seat, Goldstein!”

He took in the way she almost curled in on herself in the chair, before deliberately sitting straight. Faced with the nervous tension that was coming of her in waves, Graves calmly walked past her and took the second visitor’s chair next to her, instead of separating them by sitting in the big leather chair behind his desk.

He took a deep breath and released it slowly, trying to gather his thoughts. “Goldstein?”

She turned her head, eyes wide, her shoulders tensing up.

 _She looks like a bunny facing a cobra_ , he realized with a frown. “Goldstein,” he kept his voice low and calm, “I’m not going to yell at you.”

She blinked. “You... you’re not?” her voice was a little shaky.

“No,” he said, gently, “You were a little clumsy back there, shit happens.” He paused to think about how best to proceed. _Oh, screw it_. “My first day as a trainee auror, I confused a coffee-run to my boss’s residence with an emergency call for back-up. I stunned his wife, killed his pet crup, broke an expensive vase, and flirted with his 16 year old daughter.” By the time he finished, Goldstein’s doe-eyes were wide as saucers

“What did he do to you,” she asked, sounding alarmed.

“Well, for starters, he took me to the training ground and spent a couple of hours hexing my ass,” he found himself chuckling fondly, thinking of good ol’ Chief Auror Bennet, “Then he informed me in excruciating detail about just how he would kill me if I ever so much as looked at his daughter again. And, then he let the rest of the department in on what had happened. I’m surprised you haven’t heard rumors, yet. I still get comments by various ex-aurors and their extended families,” he huffed. Phina had laughed until tears had been streaming down her face when she’d found out. But reliving his humiliating first day as an auror was working: while she was still avoiding direct eye contact with him, Goldstein was smiling shyly. “Oh, and then I spent the next two years getting all the really mucky jobs, mountains of paperwork, and boring cases the boss could get his hands on.”

“I’m really sorry about the coffee, Sir,” she murmured.

“Goldstein, the coffee isn’t really the problem,” Percival said with a sigh, “I have reports that say you’re capable. I have reports that say you’re confident. I have reports that say you can be focused, and in control. I even have reports telling me, that you handle yourself very well under pressure. But _I_ am not seeing any of that.” He watched as she blushed, seemingly embarrassed by all his praise, only to let her shoulders droop when he got to the last sentence. “So here’s what I’m asking myself, Goldstein: What is it I did that makes you so... uncomfortable and skittish in my presence?”

Percival repressed another sigh, though it was a close thing. Goldstein was blushing furiously now, her eyes lowered and head bowed, clearly trying to prevent him from seeing her. _So it_ is _a crush. Shit_. It wasn’t the first time it had happened, and it likely wouldn’t be the last time. He knew exactly how he **should** be handling this. It was easy. Efficient. Just eviscerate her over her silly, little girl feelings, and send her on her way. She was confident in her abilities, or so the reports said, but it was obvious she wasn’t confident about her looks. It was no wonder either, with that blond bombshell of a sister of hers running around... A few well-chosen remarks about how a real man like him would never...

He reached out and gently placed his hand under her chin, lifting her head up until her eyes met his. He opened his mouth, and paused. There was something fragile in her dark eyes, something that might break beyond repair.

“Goldstein,” he said, “I barely know you, but what I’ve seen, I like.” Her lips fell open at his words, as she sucked in a surprised breath. The corners of her mouth began to turn slightly upwards. Her eyes sparkled, and he could suddenly see what all those other mentors saw: a lively mind, open, curious, optimistic. “And, don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to know that I can still turn a pretty girl’s head...,” he kept his voice deliberately gentle, knowing the next part would probably hurt her. But if he wasn’t going to ‘crush’ her hopes, he at least had to make sure she knew the boundaries he would not cross. “But I’d really prefer to see you become the auror I know you can be - if you learn to keep your feelings under wraps - to seeing the secretary you will be if you don’t.”

Seeing a panicked look on her face, he added, “I’m not threatening you, Goldstein. I don’t want to end your training. But I need you to focus, and I need you to learn to push aside the things that hinder you in doing your duty. And I fully believe that you’re capable of that. Otherwise, I’d have already kicked you out.” A lie. But she didn’t need to know that. He let go of her chin and allowed his voice to become more business-like, “Do you understand, Trainee Auror Goldstein?”

“Yes, Sir,” she nodded, subtly raising her head and sticking her chin out.

He suppressed a chuckle. She already looked more focused than she had ever been in his presence. Perhaps he’d get lucky and his uncharacteristic gentleness wouldn’t come back to bite him in the ass.

“Good,” he stood and strode around his desk, seating himself in his leather arm chair, “Now, how is the case you’re working on coming along?”

He watched her carefully as she gave her report. Oh, she still started rambling half way through, but she did catch herself at it, and brought herself back on track. By the time he sent her out of his office half an hour later, she was almost relaxed in his presence and a lot more focused. And it turned out that when she wasn’t scared and embarrassed, and hiding her face from him, she had a personality. A personality that he already... liked, he realized to his horror. As he stared absentmindedly at her hips swaying on her way to the door, Percival wondered if maybe having one unaccountably skittish subordinate might not have been easier to deal with after all.

The end

**Author's Note:**

> The coffee thing was inspired by this amazing drabble on tumblr about Seraphina Picquery staring at Percival Graves after he gets his shirt wet: http://rospeaks.tumblr.com/post/157009879470


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